Pu-erh for the New Year
I decided last year to make “Pu-erh for the New Year” a tradition of mine. I haven’t traveled down the road of paying hundreds or thousands of dollars for Pu-erh, but I have enjoyed nearly every Pu-erh I’ve tasted. I’ve been studying Pu-erh for quite sometime, but I know that actual tasting and experimenting is the best way to learn about tea/Pu-erh. For those of you that are new to Pu-erh, here’s a little background from a previous marTEA blog:
Pu-erh is one of the few teas that has a cult-like following. Connoisseurs around the globe revere Pu-erh for all of its fame and glory and they will pay thousands for top-grade aged Pu-erh. The “earthy” tea from the Yunnan region of China has a history as interesting as its flavor. It is named after the county Pu’er. Pu-erh is said to have many medicinal benefits such as lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. In addition, it is marketed as a “slimming” tea. For the general tea lover (like marTEA), Pu-erh is just a complex tea with attitude. It’s the kind of tea that dares you to drink it. It’s often described as having an “earthy” aroma and flavor. Basically, this means it tastes like dirt to many people.
This year’s Pu-erh for the New Year was in the shape of a small bowl. The Pu-erh came from just4tea.com’s online tea store. I steeped the bowl shaped Pu-erh in a Yixing teapot (I call it the frog pot). I infused the tea again, and again, and again… I really enjoyed this Pu-erh. The earthy tones that have made Pu-erh both popular and unpopular with tea drinkers were enjoyed with every cup I had. I have nothing bad to say about this tea. It was smooth, bold, and it made for a pleasant morning of reflection as another year past and the new year has started. Pu-erh is the perfect tea when you need to time to unwind. There are a lot of twists and turns throughout life. Pu-erh often takes on different characteristics with each infusion. It may start off bitter and end sweet or vice versa…a lot like life.
marTEA